Pile puller



K. HAAGE PILE FULLER Sept. 3, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 31, 1955 K. HAAGE 2,804,857

PILE FULLER 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Sept. 3, 1957 Filed March 31, 1955 Sept. 3, 1957 K. HAAGE 2,804,857

PILE FULLER Filed March 51, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 in uevfb K n rad H aq.

wldme S 31/11 KW.

FILE FULLER Konrad Haage, Esslingen, Germany Application March 31, 1955, Serial No. 498,393

Claims priority, application Germany April 1, 1954 12 Claims. (Cl. 123-7) The present invention relates to apparatus for pulling piles.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a pile puller with a source of energy operating on the same principle as a diesel engine.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a pile puller with an exceedingly simple and secure means for carrying tongs to be attached to the pile to be pulled.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a pile puller of the above type with a means for automatically displacing combustion gases out of a cylinder of the pile puller.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a pile puller with an automatically operable injection pump means for injecting fuel, to be exploded, into a cylinder.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a manually adjustable automatically operable catch means for catching a movable cylinder at the top of its stroke.

Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to provide structure for accomplishing all of the above objects and at the same time composed of simple, rugged parts capable of operating reliably for a long period of time.

With the above objects in view, the present invention mainly consists of a pile puller which includes an elongated guide bar having a stop member fixed to an upper portion thereof and formed with outer axially extending grooves extending downwardly from the stop member. A piston is fixed to the guide bar adjacent the lower end thereof and serves to fix to the guide bar a means for carrying tongs to engage the pile to be pulled. A cylinder is formed with an axial bore through which the guide bar slidably extends and is located on the latter between the piston and stop member, this cylinder being movable along the guide bar between a bottom position where the piston is located completely within the cylinder and a top position where the cylinder engages the stop member, air trapped between the stop member and cylinder moving through the grooves of the guide bar into the cylinder to displace exhaust gases therefrom. A catch lever is turnably carried by the stop member and a catch member on the cylinder is engaged by the catch lever to maintain the cylinder in its upper position, this catch lever being manually movable to and from an operative position in the path of the catch member. An injection pump is carried by the piston for injecting fuel into the cylinder and this injection pump has a plunger provided with a top free end engaged by the cylinder when the latter has almost reached its bottom position so that the injection pump is in this way automatically actuated by the cylinder.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific ato 2 ,8 ,857 Patented- Sept. 3, 1957 embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a pile puller constructed in accordance with the present invention, the tongs carried by the bottom end of the structure of Fig. 1 and the structure connected to the top end of the structure Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view through a shaft turnably carried by the stop member of Figs. 3 and 4 for positioning a catch lever shown in Figs. 3 and 4;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary, elevational, sectional view on an enlarged scale through part of a piston of the invention showing the details of an injection pump carried by this piston;

Figs. 7 and 8 respectively show the structure of Fig. 6 in difierent positions; and

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale showing the lower portion of the injection pump together with conduit and valve means associated with the injection pump.

Referring now to the drawings and to Figs. land 2 in particular, it will be seen that the structure of the invention includes an elongated cylindrical guide bar 10 carrying a stop member 11 adjacent its upper end and a piston 12 adjacent its lower end. The ramming member of the invention is formed by the cylinder 13 which is located between piston 12 and stop member 11 and which is formed with an axial bore through which the guide bar slidably extends so that the cylinder 13 is slidable between a bottommost position shown in Fig. 1 and a topmost position shown in Fig. 2.

The guide bar 10 carries a transverse pin'14 at its top end which serves to suspend the structure of the invention from any suitable support, such as a block and tackle capable of raising the structure shown in Figs. 1 and 2. A pair of tongs, not shown in the drawings, are adapted to grip the pile to be pulled, and the guide bar ltl carries structure for supporting such tongs at the bottom end of the guide bar 10. Of this latter structure only the carrier structure 15 is shown in the drawings, this structure 15 including a pair of bored ears 158 and 159 across which a pin extends to pivotally support the tongs.

In order to prevent the ramming cylinder 13 from turning about its axis, a rod 16'extends between piston 12 and stop member 11 in a direction parallel to the guide bar 10. This rod 16 extends slidably through a bore formed in a pin 17 fixed to and extending radially from the cylinder 13. The bottom end of the rod 16 is connected to a pin 18 fixed to and extending radially from piston 12 while the top end of the rod 16 extends through a bore of stop member 11 and througha pair of at least drical space when the cylinder 13 is in its lowermost posi-' tion indicated in Fig. 1. In the illustrated example, the

3 piston portion 121 is integral with the remainder of piston 12. The cylinder 13 is formed with a bore 132 communicating with cylindrical space 131 and with a spherical turbulence chamber 133 formed in a solid part of cylinder 13. For manufacturing purposes, one half of this turbulence chamber is formed by a member 20 inserted into a recess of member 13 in the manner indicted in Fig. 1.

An injection nozzle 21 is mounted in the piston portion 121 adjacent the top end thereof for directing fuel into and along the passage 132. The piston 12 is formed with bores 122 for leading fuel to the nozzle 21'.

Fuel is delivered to the nozzle 21 by an injection pump 22 shown schematically in Fig. 2, this injection pump communicating with bores 122 through bores 123 and tubular conduit 23 in the manner indicated. diagrammatically in Figs. 1 and 2.

As is apparent from Figs. 1 and 2, the piston 12 is axially bored to receive the lower portion of guide bar 10, and part of the bore of the piston 12 is conical. This conical portion of the piston bore receives conical nut sections 152 and 153 which are separated from each other by apair of gaps 154, one of which is shown in 'Fig. 2. The inner surfaces of the nut sections 152' and 153 are formed with threads which provide a rib and groove means to cooperate with another rib and groove means in the form of threads located at the bottom end of guide bar 10. Thus, it will be seen that with this-arrangement the piston 12 is constantly urged by the falling cylinder 13 downwardly onto the members 152 and 153 which are located beside each other against the guide bar to wedge these members on the guide bar and to urge the rib and groove means of members 152 and 153 radially toward the axis of the guide bar into the rib and groove means of the latter. The nut member 152 is integral with a semi-circular flange 156 and the nut member 153 is integral with a semicircular flange 157, these latter flanges being respectivelyintegral with ears 158 and 159. Thus, these elements form a bifurcated carrier for carrying the pivot pin of a pair of tongs, as mentioned above. Screw members 24 extend freely through bores in flanges 156 and 157 into threaded engagement with piston 12 to urge the latter toward these flanges so as to press the nut members 152 and 153 radially toward the, axis of guide bar 10. Nut members 25 are carried by screw members 24 for releasing the connection between piston 12 and carrier 15. Thus, when it is desired to separate parts 12 and 15 from each other, screws 24 are turned outwardly from the piston 12 While still remaining in connection therewith and the nuts 25 are then turned against the flanges 156 and 157 to pull the screws 24 upwardly with respect to these flanges soas to raise piston 12 through a distance suflicient to enable the threads of nut members 152 and 153 to be moved away from and out of engagement with the threads at the bottom end of guide bar 10.

It will be seen that with this construction the engagement of the ramming cylinder 13 with the piston 12 is transmitted into forces directing members 152 and 153 inwardly toward guide bar 10 into tighter engagement with the threads thereof. Thus, a very secure connection is provided between carrier 15 and guide bar 10, and this connection does not rely on any screw members or the like which are subject to extremely large stresses. A screw connection of this latter type could never prow'de the secure connection provided by the abovedescribed structure at the bottom end of guide bar 10.

The ramming cylinder 13 is provided at its top end with a cylindrical, upwardly-directed projection 134 which extends into and substantially fills a correspondingly shaped recess 111, formed in the bottom face of the stop member 11, when the ramming cylinder 13 is in its topmost position shown in Fig. 2. The guide bar 10 is formed in its outer surface with axially extending grooves 101 extending downwardly from stop member 11 through a distance greater than the length of the bored portion of cylinder 13 which engages the guide bar 10, as is evident from Fig. 2. Thus, when the cylinder 13 is thrown upwardly against the stop member 11 to provide an upward force on the pile to be pulled, the projection 134 entering into recess 11 causes air trapped between cylinder 13 and stop member 11 to be driven downwardly through grooves 101 into the cylindrical space 131 so as to clean the cylindrical space by driving products of combustion therefrom.

The ramming cylinder 13 carries in addition to the guide pin 17 a pin 26 which serves as a catch member, this pin 26 being provided at its outer free end with a tooth 261. The catch member 26 cooperates with the remainder of a catch means carried by the stop member 11.

The stop member 11 is provided with a lateral extension 112 formed with a bore which is open at its top and bottom and which is provided intermediate its end with a shoulder, Fig. 2 clearly showing that the bore portion of extension 112 located above the shoulder is of a greater diameter than the bore portion located below the shoulder. A sleeve 27 is located within the larger bore portion and has a bottom outer surface portion in slidable engagement with the lower bore portion. Furthermore, the sleeve 27 is provided with an outwardly extending annular H flange 271 whose outer periphery is in slidable engagement with the surface of the larger part of the bore in extension 112. Between the flange 271 and the shoulder a spring means 113 is located, and this spring means 113 may take the form of washers 28 made of rubber or the like, located one above the other about the sleeve 27, and yieldably resisting downward movement thereof. The top part of the sleeve 27 carries a cross-pin 29 on which a catch lever 30 is pivoted, this catch lever 30 extending freely through the bore of extension 112 downwardly below the stop member 11. The bottom end of the catch lever 30 is provided with a hook-like catch portion 301 which cooperates with the tooth 261 of the catch member 26. An additional spring means described below yieldably urges and maintains the catch lever 30 in the position thereof shown in Fig. 1, and in this position the catch lever will be engaged by catch member 26 when the cylinder 13 is almost at its uppermost position. When the cylinder 13 reaches its topmost position shown in Fig. 2, the hook portion 301.snaps beneath the tooth 261 and prevents downward movement of the cylinder 13, and it will be noted that the cylinder 13 is actuated on by the catch means at the precise moment when the cylinder 13 stops its upward movement, the kinetic of the cylinder 13 being at a minimum at this moment. A manually operable structure not shown in Fig. l and only diagrammatically indicated in Fig. 2 where the manually operated element 31 is shown is provided to move the catch lever 30 from its operative position indicated in Fig. 1 to an inoperative position where the catch lever 30 is inclined with respect to the position shown in Fig. 1 to an extent sufficient to locate the catch lever 30 out of the path of movement of the catch member 26. Thus, in this inoperative position of catch lever 30 the catch means will not operate and the ramming cylinder 13 will simply rise and fall continuously. This catch lever 30 is returned to its operative position when it is desired to stop the operation of the pile puller so as to retain the ramming cylinder in its uppermost position, and when operation is again started the catch lever 30 is again moved to its inoperative position in order to release the cylinder 13 which falls by gravity in order to start the operations. The spring means 113 resiliently resists downward movement of the ramming cylinder 13 when the catch member 26 is engaged by the catch lever 30.

' The above described structure illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 operates as follows:

From the starting position shown in Fig. 2 the ramming cylinder 13 is released when the operator turns lever 31 so as to move the catch lever 30 to its inoperative posities.- The falling ramming cylinder 13 starts to compress gases Within the cylindrical chamber 131 as soon as the piston portion 121 enters into the cylinder portion 131. When the cylinder 13 has almost reached its bottommost position it strikes against the top free end 32 of a plunger of the injection pump 22 and depresses this plunger so that the injection pump injects fuel through the conduit 23 and bores 123 and 122 as well as through suitable nonreturn valves into the nozzle 21 and the fuel issues from the nozzle 21 along the passage 132 into the turbulence chamber 133 where combustion takes place. The resulting explosion causes the ramming cylinder 13 to be thrown upwardly and to completely uncover the piston portion 121 so that in this way part of the exhaust gases are distributed to the atmosphere. The remainder of the exhaust gases are cleaned out of the cylinder space 131 when the ramming cylinder 13 moves with its upper portion 134 into the recess 111 shortly before the ramming cylinder 13 strikes the stop member 11 to exert a sudden upward pull on the pile. The air trapped within the recess 111 during upward movement of the cylinder 13 is compelled to flow downwardly through the grooves 101 and through the cylindrical space 131 to the outer atmosphere, so that in this way the products of combustion in the cylindrical space 131 are displaced by fresh air.

The stop member 11 is retained on the guide bar by its wedging engagement with a conical enlargement 102 of the guide bar 10, this enlargement 102 being located within a conical part of an axial bore of the stop member 11 through which the guide bar extends. When the ramming cylinder 13 strikes the stop member 11, the upward force is transmitted through the conical enlarge ment 102 to the guide bar 10 and from the latter through the carrier structure 15 to a pair of tongs carried by this carrier structure and gripping the pile to be pulled. As long as the catch lever 30 is maintained in an inoperative position the ramming cylinder 13 falls after it strikes the stop member 11 and then the above described operations are repeated. The repeated blows of the ramming cylinder 13 against the stop member 11 loosen the pile and eventually draw it up.

At the end of the operations, the member 31 is actuated by the operator to allow the catch lever 30 to return to its operative position shown in Fig. l, and then when the ramming cylinder 13 reaches its uppermost position, the catch member 26 is engaged by the lever 30 to retain the cylinder 13 in its uppermost position. It is a fairly simple matter with the structure of the invention to arrange the catch means 26, 30 to retain the ramming cylinder 13 in its topmost position because the stop member 11 provides a precise limit to the upward movement of cylinder 13 and thus the cylinder 13 is positioned precisely by the stop member 11 in order to be engaged by this catch means. In other words, with the disclosed struc ture of the invention the ramming cylinder 13 is compelled to move up and down through strokes which are always of exactly the same length. Therefore it is possible to set the parts so that the hook portion 301 snaps beneath the tooth 261 exactly at that moment when the ramming cylinder 13 would change its direction of movement and when the kinetic energy of the cylinder 13 is at a minimum.

The part of the catch means which is. carried by the stop memberll is illustrated in greater detail and on an enlargedscale in Figs. 3-5. Thus, referring to Figs. 3-5 it Will be seen that the annular flange 271 is located between the topmost washer 28 and another washer 33 of rubber or the like, this washer 33 being urged downwardly against the top face of flange 271 by an outwardly threaded ring 34 which engages threads formed in the topmost part of the bore of the extension 112.

Furthermore, Figs. 3-5 show the shaft 311 which is turnably carried by the stop member 11 and which has the handle 31 located at its outer end so that the shaft 311 may be turned by the operator. This shaft 311 extends transversely through the bore of extension 112 through which the catch lever 30 passes, as is particularly evident from Fig. 4. As is shown most clearly in Fig. 5, the shaft 311 is provided with a pair of side faces 312 and 313 which are substantially at right angles to each other and with an eccentric curved face 314. The flat sidefaces 312'and '313 serve to retain the shaft 311 in itsend positions corresponding to the operative and inoperative positions of the catch lever 30. These fiat faces 312 and 313 cooperate with the flat right face of a cupshaped member 36, as viewed in Fig. 4, this cup-shaped member 36 being slidable within a suitable bore formed in extension 112 and being urged by the spring 35 outwardly toward the shaft 311. As is evident particularly from Fig. 5, when the face 313 engages the cup member 36 the catch lever 30 Will be located in its operative position, while when the shaft 311 is turned in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 5, through so that the face 312 engages the cup member 36, the shaft 311 will turn the catch lever 30 in a counterclockwise direction about pin 29, as viewed in Fig. 4, to an inoperative position. It is only necessary to turn the shaft 311 back to the position indicated in Fig. 5 in order to return the catch lever 30 to its operative position. Of course, the shaft 311 is mounted on the extension 112 with a clearance sufiicient to enable the shaft 311 to be turned to its end positions. The extension 112 is provided with an additional bore which accommodates :a substantially cupshaped member 38 urged by the spring 361 to the left, as viewed in Fig. 4, so that the spring 361 constantly urges the catch lever 30 to its operative position. A plug 37 is threaded into the extension 112 in order to regulate the force with which the spring 361 presses the member 38 toward the lever 30 as well as to provide a surface against whichthe spring 361 abuts. In this way, the catch lever 30 is always maintained against the eccentric surface 314 of the shaft 311.

The details of the injection pump 22 are illustrated in Figs. 6-9. This injection pump includes an upper plunger 40, a lower plunger 41, and a third plunger in the form of a piston 42 which is connected to the plunger 41 for movement therewith. As is evident from Figs. 68, the bottom end portion of the plunger 41 is formed with a T -slot into which the T-shaped top end of the plunger 42 extends so that in this way plunger 42 is constrained to move together with the plunger 41. The piston 12 is formed with a bore to accommodate the injection pump 22, and a cylindrical sleeve 22' forms the housing of the injection pump and is located within this bore in the manner indicated in Figs. 6-8. This sleeve 22' slidably engages outwardly extending bottom annular flange of a head piece 32 which is fixed rigidly to the top end of the plunger 40 and which may be formed integrally therewith if desired. Furthermore, the sleeve 22 slidably engages at its inner surface the outer surface of a cylindrical cup-shaped member 43 having a top wall formed with a bore through which the plunger 40 extends. The plunger 41 is provided at its bottom end with an enlargement 401 which engages the bottom surface of the top wall of the cup-shaped member 43in the position of the parts shown in Figs. 6 and 7 so that the member 43 cannot move downwardly with respect to plunger 40 beyond the position indicated in Figs. 6 and 7. A relatively strong spring means 44 is located about the plunger 40 between head piece 32 and cup-shaped member 43 and in engagement with members 32 and 43. The spring means 44 may be made up of individual dish springs located one above the other in the manner indicated in Figs. 6-8 and formed with aligned openings through which the plunger freely extends. means 44 by its engagement with members 32 and 43 constantly urges the member 32 upwardly with respect to member 43 so as to press the enlargement 401 against the underside of the top wall of member 43. Spring means 44 must be compressed before the enlargement Thus, the spring.

401 can move downwardly into the cup-shaped member 43 beyond the position indicated in- Figs. 6 and 7. The cup-shaped member43 bears at-its bottom surface against an enlarged top end 411 of the second plunger 41,'and it will be noted that the plunger 41 extends downwardly into a bore portion of sleeve 22 which is of a smaller diameter than the bore portion inwhich 49 is located, these two bore portions of different diameters being-separated by the shoulder 223. Beneath the shoulder 223 the sleeve 22' is formed with an additional shoulder 221 against which the bottom end of a second spring means 45 bears. This second spring means 45 is in the form of a coil spring coiled about the plunger 41 and abuts also against the'under surface of the enlarged top end 411 of plunger 41. Spring means 45 is weaker than spring means 44; so that when the latter spring means is compressed by depression of head piece 32 the cup-shaped member 43 will move down moving the plunger 41 down and compressing the spring 45 until the top end 411 of plunger 41 engages the shoulder 223.

The shoulder 221' forms the top surface of an inwarclly extending annular flange of the sleeve 22', the bottom surface of this flange engaging the top surface of a cylinder 46 into which the plunger 42 slidably extends. The bottom end of cylinder 46 bears against the bottom surface of the bore of piston 12in which the sleeve 22' is located. As is apparent from Figs. 69, considerable clearance is provided in the bore of piston 12 about an intermediate portion of the cylinder 46. The piston 12 is formed with an annular hollow space 12 (Fig. 2) which serves as a reservoir for fuel. Any suitable plug closes a threaded opening through which the reservoir 12' may be filled. This reservoir communicates with an opening 46 formed in the piston 12, and this opening 46' in turn communicates with the space whichsurrounds the outer surface of the cylinder 46. The cylinder 46 is formed with radial bores 461 communicating with the axial bore in which piston 42 extends and with the space about piston 46 so that fuel in the reservoir 12' may flow through the bore 46' to the space about the cylinder 46 and from this space through the bores 461 into the interior of the cylinder 46. When the piston 42 moves downwardly below the bores 461, the fuel beneath the piston 42 is displaced by the latter through the bores 123 formed in piston 12 and through a non-return valve 47 to the conduit 23. As was mentioned above, the fuel then flows along conduit 23 and bores 122 to the nozzle 21.

As is most clearly shown in Fig. 9, the non-return valve 47 includes a tubular member 47a threaded into a the piston 12 and formed with suitable bores to provide communication between conduit 23 and bore 123. A part 123' of the bore 123 is conical and serves as a valve seat for the non-return valve member 47b. A spring 47c in the tube 47:: urges the spherical member 47b against its seat to close the valve 47, and in this way flow of fuel from conduit 23 to bore 123 is prevented. When the plunger .2 moves downwardly below the radial bores 461, the pressure of the fuel moves the valve member 47b, as viewed in Fig 9, to press the spring 470, and the valve member 47 b in its open position rests against a plurality of ribs 47a extending forwardly from the right end face of the tubular member 47a, as viewed in Fig. 9.

The above-described follows:

The falling ramming cylinder 13 strikes against the head piece '32 shortly before the ramming cylinder 13 reaches its bottom dead-center position. It will be noted from Figs. 6 8 that this head piece 32 is guided not only by the sleeve 22' but also by the inner surface of a tubular member 48 provided with outer threads and threaded into the bore of piston 12 into engagement with the top end of sleeve 22' in order to press the latter downwardly against the top of the cylinder 46. The

injection pump operates as downwardly moving ramming cylinder 13- thus moves the head piece 32 and the plunger 40 therewith downwardly fromthe position of Fig. 6 toward that of Fig.7 as the ramming cylinder approaches vits bottom dead-center position. During this phase of the operation, the spring means 44- is not compressed and only the weaker springmeans 45 is compressed so that the top enlarged end 411 of plunger 41 moves toward the shoulder 223 while elements 49-and 43 move together without changing their relative position. This movement continues until the top portion 411 of plunger 41 engages the shoulder 223, and during this phase of the operation the piston 42 moves downwardly in the cylinder 46 from the position of Fig. 6 to that of Fig. 7 in order to displace fuel through thenon-return valve-47, conduit 23, and nozzle 22. In this way a metered amount of fuel is delivered to the cylinder. After the ramming cylinder has depressed the plungers to the position indicated in Fig. 7, the ramming cylinder 13 continues-to move down to its bottom dead-center position, to depress head piece 32 and plunger 4% from the position of Fig. 7 to that of Fig. 8. Since the enlarged end 411 of plunger 41 engages shoulder 223, the plunger 41 cannot move downwardly any more and therefore this plunger 41 together with the plunger 42 remains stationary during this phase of the operation, and of course the cup-shaped member 43 also cannot move downwardly. Thus, during this phase of the operation the spring means 44 is compressed and the head piece 32 moves down until its top surface is flush with the adjacent top surface of the piston 12, the bottom enlarged end dill of plunger 40 descending into the cup-shaped member 43 from the position of Fig. 7 to that of Fig. 8. Thus, the ramming cylinder 13 can move downwardly through a short distance after the fuel is injected and just before the explosion. After the explosion takes place, the ramming cylinder is thrown upwardly as was described above, and then the elements of the injection pump 22 return to their rest position indicated in Fig. 6, the upward movement of the plunger 42 creating a suction in the cylinder 45 which draws onto the latter an additional charge of fuel to be displaced from the cylinder at the next operation.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of p'ile pullers differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in diesel type pile pullers, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What isclaimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. A pile puller comprising, in combination, an elongated guide bar; a piston fixed to said guide bar at a lower portion thereof; a stop member fixed to said guide bar at an upper portion thereof; and a cylinder formed with an axial bore through which said guide bar slidably extends and located on the latter between said piston and stop member, said cylinder being slidable alongsaid guide bar from a bottom position, where said piston is located completely within said cylinder to create an explosion therein for throwing said cylinder upwardly along said guide bar into engagement with said stop member, to an upper position where said cylinder has a top end portion thereof located next to a bottom end portion of said stop member, one of said end portions being formed with a recess and the other of said end portions having a projection extending into said recess when said cylinder is in said upper position thereof, said cylinder having an inner surface portion defining the axial bore thereof through which said guide bar slidably extends and said guide bar having an outer surface portion surrounded by and extending beyond said inner surface portion of said cylinder when the latter is in its upper position and formed with a plurality of axially extending grooves longer than said inner surface portion of said cylinder so that as said cylinder approaches its upper position air trapped between said cylin der and stop member will flow through said grooves to expel combustion gases from the interior of said cylinder.

2. A pile puller comprising, in combination, an elongated guide bar; a piston fixed to said guide bar at a lower portion thereof; a stop member fixed to said guide bar at an upper portion thereof; a cylinder formed with an axial bore through which said guide bar slidably extends and located on the latter between said piston and stop member, said cylinder being slidable along said guide bar from a bottom position, where said piston is located completely within said cylinder to create an explosion therein for throwing said cylinder upwardly along said guide bar into engagement with said stop member, to an upper position where said cylinder is located next to said stop member; catch means carried by said cylinder and stop member for retaining said cylinder in its upper position, said catch means including a catch member carried by said stop member for movement between an operative and an inoperative position; and means carried by said stop member for moving said catch member between said positions thereof.

3. A pile puller comprising, in combination, an elongated guide bar; a piston fixed to said guide bar at a lower portion thereof; a stop member fixed to said guide bar at an upper portion thereof; a cylinder formed with an axial bore through which said guide bar slidably extends and located on the latter between said piston and stop member, said cylinder being slidable along said guide bar from a bottom position, where said piston is located completely within said cylinder to create an ex plosion therein for throwing said cylinder 1 upwardly along said guide bar into engagement with said stop member, to an upper position where said cylinder is located next to said stop member; catch means carried by said cylinder and stop member for retaining said cylinder in its hpper position, said catch means including a catch member carried by said stop member for movement between an operative and an inoperative position; meanSQca-rried -by-said stopmember formoving said catch member between said positions thereof; and means carried by said stop member for yieldably resisting downward movement of said catch member.

4. A pile puller comprising, in combination, an elongated guide bar formed at a lower end portion with rib and groove means; a pair of tong supporting members located beside each other, having inner surfaces formed with rib and groove means mating with and engaging said rib and groove means of said guide bar and respectively having outer surfaces which respectively form parts of the same cone, said supporting members being adapted to carry a pair of tongs which grip a pile to be pulled; a piston formed with an axial bore through which said guide bar extends, said axial bore of said piston being partly conical and engaging said outer surfaces of said supporting members so that the latter are radially wedged by said piston inwardly toward the axis of said guide bar; a stop member fixed to said guide bar at an upper portion thereof; and a cylinder formed with an axial bore through which said guide bar slidably extends and located on the latter between said piston and stop member, said cylinder being slidable along said guide bar from a'bottom position, where said piston is located completely within said cylinder to create an explosion therein for throwing said cylinder upwardly along said guide bar into engagement with said stop member, to an upper position where said cylinder is located next'to said stop member. i

5. In a pile puller, in combination, a stop member having a bottom face formed with a recess; a guide bar having an upper portion fixed to said stop member, said guide bar extending downwardly from said stop member through said recess thereof and being formed in its outer surface with a plurality of axial grooves extending through a given distance downwardly from said stop member from the interior of said recess thereof; and a cylinder adapted to move up and down said guide bar and formed with an axial bore, shorter than said distance, through which said guide bar slidably extends, said cylinder ,having a top end portion shaped in correspondence to said recess to extend into and fill the latter when said cylinder is in an uppermost position in engagement with said stop member so that as said cylinder approaches said uppermost position said top end portion thereof will drive air from the interior of said recess downwardly through said grooves into said cylinder.

6. In a pile puller, in combination, a guide bar; a stop member fixed to an upper portion of said guide bar; a cylinder formed with an axial bore through which said guide bar slidably extends so that said cylinder may move along said guide bar to and from an upper position where said cylinder engages said stop member; a catch lever turnably carried by said stop member and having a free bottom catch portion located at a lower elevation than said stop member; a catch member carried by said cylinder and movable with the latter along a path intersecting said catch lever when the latter is in an operative position to engage said catch lever for maintaining said cylinder in its uppermost position; and manually operable means carried by said stop member and engaging said catch lever for moving and maintaining the same out of its operative position.

7. In a pile puller, in combination, a guide bar; a stop member fixed to an upper portion of said guide bar; a cylinder formed with an axial bore through which said guide bar slidably extends so that said cylinder may move along said guide bar to and from an upper position Where said cylinder engages said stop member; a catch lever turnably carried by said stop member and having a free bottom catch portion located at a lower elevation than said stop member; a catch member carried by said cylinder and movable with the latter along a path intersecting said catch lever when the latter is in an operative position to engage said catch lever for maintaining said cylinder in its uppermost position; manually operable means carried by said stop member and engaging said catch lever for moving and maintaining the same; and spring means carried by said stop member and operatively connected to said catch lever for yieldably resisting downward movement thereof.

8. In a pile puller, in combination, a guide bar; a stop member fixed to an upper portion of said guide bar; a cylinder formed with an axial bore through which said guide bar slidably extends so that said cylinder may move along said guide bar to and from an upper position where said cylinder engages said stop member; a catch lever turnably carried by said stop member and having a free bottom catch portion located at a lower elevation than said stop member; a catch member carried by said cylinder and movable with the latter along a path intersecting said catch lever when the latter is in an operative position to engage said catch lever for maintaining said cylinder in its uppermost position; manually operable means carried by said stop member and engaging said catch lever for moving and maintaining the same out of its operative position; and spring means carried by said stop member and operatively engaging said catch lever for yieldably maintaining the same in saidoperative position thereof. a

9. In a pile puller, in combinatioma guide bar; ast op member fixed to an upper portion of said guide bar; a cylinder formed with an axial bore throughwhich said guide bar slidably extends so that saidcylinder may inove along said guide bar to and from anupper position where said cylinder engages said stopmember; a catch lever turnably carried by said stop member and having a free bottom catch portion located at a lower elevation than said stop member; a catch member carried by said cylinder and movable with the latter along a path intersecting said catch lever when the latter i'sin anoperative position to engage said catch lever for maintaining said cylinder in its uppermost position; and manually operable means carried by said stop member and engaging said catch lever for moving and maintaining the same out of its operative position, said manually operable means including a shaft turnably carried by said stop member for movement'about its axis and having an outer surfaceportion eccentric with respect to the axis of said shaft and engaging said catch 'lever y 10. A pile puller comprising, in combination, an elongated guide bar; a piston fixed to said guide barat a lower portion thereof; a stop member fixed to saidguide bar at an upper portion thereof; and a cylinder formed With an axial bore through which said guide bar slidably extends and located on the latter between said piston and stop member, said cylinder being slidable along said guide bar from a bottom position, where said piston is'located completely within said cylinder to create an explosion therein for throwing said cylinder upwardly along said guide bar into engagement with said stop membento an upper position where said cylinder is located next to said stop member, said cylinder having an inner surface por tion defining the axial bore thereof through which said guide bar slidably extends and said guide bar having an outer surface portion surrounded by said' inner surface portion of said cylinder when the latter is in said upper position thereof, one of said surface portionsbeing formed with at least one axial groove extending along the entire length thereof so that as said cylinder approaches its upper position air trapped between said cylinder and stop member will flow through said groove to expelcombustion gases from the interior of said cylinder;

11. A pile puller comprising, in combination, anelongated guide bar; a piston fixed to said guide bar at a lower portion thereof; a stop member fixed to said guide bar at an upper portion thereof; and a cylinder formed with an axial bore through which said guide bar'slidably extendsand located on the latter between said piston and stop member, said cylinder being slidable along said guide bar from a bottom position, where said pistonis-located; completely within said cylinder to create an explosiontherein for throwing said cylinder upwardly along said guide bar into engagement with said stop member, to an upperposition where said cylinder has a top end portion thereof located next to a bottom end portion of said stop member, one of said end portions being formed with a recess and the otherof said end portions having a projection extending into said recess when said cylinder is in said upper position thereof, said cylinder having an inner surface portion defining the axial bore thereof through which said guide bar slidably extends and said guide bar having an outer surface portion surrounded by said inner surface portion of said cylinder when the latter is in said upper position thereof, one of said surface portions being formed with at least one axial groove extending along the entire length thereof so that as said cylinder approaches. its upper position air trapped between said cylinder and, stop member will flow through said groove to expel combustion gases from the interior of said cylinder.

12. A pile puller comprising, in combination, an elongated guide bar; a piston fixed to said guide bar at a lower portion thereof; a stop member fixed to said guide bar at an upper portion thereof; and a cylinder formed with an axial bore through which said guide bar slidably extends and located on the latter between said piston and stop member, said cylinder being slidable along said guide bar from a bottom position, where said piston is located completely within said cylinder to create an explosion therein for throwing said cylinder upwardly along said guide bar into engagement with said stop member, to an upper position where said cylinder has a top end portion thereof located next to a bottom end portion of said stop member, one of said end portions being formed with a recess and the other of said end portions having a projection extending into and substantially filling said recess when said cylinder is in said upper position thereof, said cylinder having an inner surface portion defining the axial bore thereof through which said guide bar slidably extends and said guide bar having an outer surface portion surrounded by said inner surface portion of said cylinder when the latter is in said upper position thereof, one of said surface portions being formed with at least one axial groove extending along the entire length thereof so that as said cylinder approaches its upper position air trapped between said cylinder and stop member will flow through said groove to expel combustion gases from the interior of said cylinder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

